Murder at Mardi Gras (A murder mystery party with friends)

Conversation I recently had with one of my language partners from Japan:

Onnasan:  What changed for you this week?
Jeff: hmm, well I had a party.  For Mardi Gras.  That's an American Holiday.
Onnasan: I see, is it a Christian Holiday?
Jeff: Umm, well it started out that way, but it's not anymore.
Onnasan: Yes, ok.  So what did you do at the party?
Jeff: *pause*  We solved a, uhhh, a murder.
Onnasan:  A murder!?  *pause*  That does not sound fun, it seems very serious.
Jeff:  No, it was fun.  We got to dress up and everybody had clues and secrets, and we all had to guess who the killer was... (to myself: I guess it does sound a bit grim)
Onnasan:  Ah...  Well, Japanese people are very serious.  I do not think we would enjoy a party about Murder.
Jeff:  Haha, yes but it really is better than it sounds.

Trying to explain a murder mystery party in another language is not easy.  And now that I think about it, it does seem like a strange way to spend an evening.  But Americans love solving mysteries, why else do we watch so much 'Scooby-Doo' and 'Law and Order'.  And who doesn't love to dress up?  I pretended to be a Cajun gator wrestler/aspiring lawyer and my wife was a classic French maid.  To get into character my wife scoured youtube for videos on how to fake a French accent.  It was terribly fun.  And I was very proud of my friends, as they all did a great job dressing up and acting like their characters.  The story was full of outrageous plot twists and greatly added to the evenings silliness.  In fact, our murder mystery party was about as far away from serious as one can get.

Bonjour!

Magnolia Beauty Queen / young heiress who my character was engaged to

An occult novelist who lives next door

A gold-digging wife from Vegas and Jazz Musician

The family cook who was secretly dating the French maid!

Mardi Gras Tie

My catchphrase for the night: (in a cajun accent) I gaur-ON-TEE, it was not ME

Happy Mardi Gras!

Since the party and mystery were both Mardi Gras themed, we cooked up some amazing Mardi Gras food.  Cooking in the kitchen surrounded by friends also working on culinary creations is itself great fun.  I've never been in a band, but I imagine this is what it feels like.  Working in the same space with others, everybody doing their own thing but all working towards the same goal, a delicious meal.

Jazz Musician Chad takes time away from music to work in another medium, Flavor.

French Maid Misty helps prepare dinner for the guests

Finished Product: jambalaya, collard greens and bourbon mashed sweet potatoes

We also cooked Cajun food the night before

Crawfish, fried okra and taters

I spent my summers growing up in Baton Rouge, so talking with a cajun accent and eating crawfish and jambalaya was a comforting reminder of home.  I had a fantastic time and I can't wait to solve another murder mystery soon.  Maybe I'll even write my own one day, that sounds fun.  And in case your were interested *Spoiler Alert* it was the victim's best friend/lawyer who did it.

The Sounds of New Orleans

The distinctive flavor of New Orleans floods the senses as soon as you step onto its streets. N'awlens, as the locals say, certainly has distinctive architecture and unique sights.
But the true soul of New Orleans is in its music and food. In a world where every town in every country has a McDonald's and a Starbucks, and grandma's secret recipes can be downloaded over the internet, it is increasingly rare to discover delicious dishes that haven't been mass produced and exported to the entire world. But the Cajuns of Louisiana have held on to two culinary masterpieces available to locals only: beignets and crawfish. I love them both passionately.Everywhere you go in New Orleans, there are musicians playing on the streets. Musicans of all sorts flood the air with the distintive soul of New Orleans. But musicians are not the only locals on almost every street corner. New Orleans is also home to an aggressive service sector. Tourists flood its streets and many of its locals have also taken to the streets looking to provide services and help, whether they're wanted or not. Never before have I walked into so many fake tourist info booths and rejected so many city tours.New Orleans offers a chance to interact with locals unlike anywhere else. It is not for those who have a weak fortitude or are easily persuaded, as the food, the music and the service sector is strong, constant, and loud. But it is a beautiful and unique city and in my opinion worth the exhaustion and heat.